Mayor Phil Gordon: This isn't personal, it's about safety

My disagreements with the sheriff are about professional decisions and public safety.

Our shared goal has to be the safety of our community. And, from the beginning, I have respectfully asked the sheriff to do three things to help ensure the safest possible community for us all:

First, I have asked him to simply do what the Phoenix Police Department does: cooperate with other local law enforcement jurisdictions. Let the various police departments know exactly what he is doing. Plan with them. Share information and resources. Don't jeopardize ongoing undercover operations. Don't put deputies, other officers and the public at increased risk.

That's not asking a lot. It shouldn't need to be asked at all. As reported by the FBI, Phoenix crime rates are down in every category, while the crime numbers in the unincorporated areas of the county, which are solely the responsibility of the sheriff, are going up and fast becoming a crisis. That calls for more cooperation and sharing - not less.

Second, I have asked him to help make our community safer by focusing on the 40,000 felony arrest warrants - of dangerous criminals - that are still outstanding in Maricopa County; to focus on the "worst of the worst" - rapists, murderers, drug dealers, violent and repeat offenders. Like other jurisdictions do.

Finally, I have asked the sheriff to respect the Constitution and the civil rights of all American citizens. Recently, this newspaper, the East Valley Tribune, the Washington Post, Valley media, the Anti-Defamation League and associations of pastors, priests and rabbis have noted specific examples of the sheriff's refusal to follow federal civil-rights requirements when pursuing illegal immigrants. But he must respect civil rights. American citizens and U.S. veterans who fought for our rights are seeing their own rights violated. Immigrants, who are here legally, with paperwork in hand, are being treated like criminals. Vendors, with valid visas and properly licensed equipment, are being detained. All those things are wrong and unacceptable.

I have asked investigative journalists to come to Phoenix and join with local journalists to tell this story because it needs to be told. Not because we don't want immigration laws enforced. We do. (In fact, Phoenix police have arrested 11,000 criminal immigrants and turned an additional 4,000 over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the past two years alone). We want this story told because the civil rights of citizens and others here legally must be protected.

We all have a basic right to be left alone by law enforcement if we have done nothing wrong. The sheriff sees it differently. It is my hope that when a national journalistic spotlight shines on the sheriff's bizarre, dangerous and constitutionally challenged choices, the decision-makers in Washington, D.C., will see the sad results of their neglect and finally be moved to act.